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Hinting at… Happiness?

What does a Harvard University professor have to do with flash fiction? Nothing. And everything. Or, at least, something.

I’ve thought for a long time now that good flash fiction packs a punch. It heightens emotional responses, engages readers, invites them to be a part of the story, makes them think…and keeps them thinking.

As I said in a recent guest post at D. Wallace Peach’s blog, “I want to make readers wonder what the hell just happened then decide for themselves three hours later because they can’t stop thinking about it.” Well, I’ve found a bit of scientific proof on why that could be a good thing.

Daniel Gilbert is a professor, psychologist, writer, speaker, award-winner, and all sorts of other cool stuff. He’s done numerous studies on our ability to imagine the future, anticipate outcomes, make decisions, and how all these things affect our happiness. He’s written and talked about it. A lot. You should check him out.

GILBERT: Well, there’s no doubt that uncertainty can amplify emotions…

We did a study in which people watched a movie. And for some of the people in our experiment, we didn’t let them watch how the movie ended. We didn’t let them see what happened to the main character. Now, if I asked you, which of these two movies would you rather see, 100 percent of the hands go up and say, I’d like to see the end of the movie, please.

But what we discovered was people who didn’t see the end of the movie liked it more, thought about it for longer, were still engaged in it and still enjoying it, even hours or days later. They didn’t see what happened to the last – the main character in the end, and so they kept wondering, gosh, I wonder if he went to college or he became a football player. What an interesting thing to be thinking about and enjoying.

Look at that: “people who didn’t see the end of the movie liked it more, thought about it for longer, were still engaged in it and still enjoying it, even hours or days later.”

You see where I’m going with this…

Flash fiction.

I know it’s not exactly the same thing but, wow, it really is similar if you think about it. I mean, you read a flash. And, although it often has a beginning, middle, and end…it hints. You finish the story with some fulfillment but with questions clinging to your brain.

A good flash story will give you enough to sink your teeth into but leave you wondering what happened before, what could happen next, what is going on around the edges of the story.

Readers might enjoy the story better when they use their imagination and creativity. Or not. Just a theory. Either way, they’ll most likely be thinking about it a bit longer, engaging a bit more, and perhaps even be a bit happier as they ponder all the possibilities.

I remember being accused of not having much of an imagination at school, and that is one of the reasons I have steered clear of writing ‘stories’ of any kind! I usually base my poems on experiences which is much easier! 🙂

Cool study and it makes sense. There’s a certain satisfaction in reading or seeing a story through to the end, but in every case where there are hints at more beyond “the end,” I do engage a lot longer. And you’re right, I enjoy that. I think that “wanting more” is what causes book-hangovers, which most of us love! Fascinating post, Sarah. 🙂

I love the thinking behind this. We took the boys to see the Good Dinosaur when it was still in the theaters. Just as the story was building up to the climax my youngest informed me he’d gotten something in his eye which could not wait for the credits. We spent the rest of the movie in the bathroom in an attempt to wash out the mystery particle, so I never did see how the story ended. Considering I’m still thinking about it, there must be some truth to the argument.

Perfect example with the Good Dinosaur movie. Your creativity is kicking in and your imagination is filling in the blanks. I guess just being left without someone showing and telling you everything, your mind takes over. It really is interesting.

See, now I’ll be thinking about your son and if you got the thing out and, if so, where? Did he have to wait until he got home, poor thing? Or did you get it out at the theatre? How? That would have been difficult. You didn’t tell me. You said you attempted to wash it out. Now I’m wondering and assuming and thinking about all sorts of scenarios.

It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t pretty, but we did get it out with a few rinses, but he complained it still hurt even though nothing visible was there so when we got home he put a patch over his eye for protection and arghed like a pirate.

If I went to a movie, and I wasn’t allowed to watch the end, I’d be pissed off, because I’d expect to see the whole movie. Reality would be less than expectations, which would equal negative happiness. That is, of course, assuming I knew the movie was getting cut short for my viewing.

Of course, with Flash Fiction, the expectation is that you’re not going to get a sprawling epic, therefore I’d have to say reality would be greater than or equal to expectations, which would therefore result in positive happiness.

I suppose if the people in the study didn’t know they weren’t being shown the whole movie, I could see them having a positive reaction and retaining the sense of wonder. It’s kind of like how some people were annoyed at J.K. Rowling’s epilogue that showed the future of the Harry Potter characters.

I’d be upset, too, if something was cut off when my expectation was that I’d see the entire thing. But this guy…he’s all about how ‘off’ we are when predicting our own happiness. 😉 I totally see what you’re saying, though. And, yeah, it is kind of like the epilogue. Even when given a concrete THE END, our mind still wonders and wanders about, doesn’t it? We naturally want to continue the story in our mind.

Very interesting. Of course I’d want to be in the group that saw the ending, but I admit to thinking over fiction and movies days later that don’t have a definitive end. By the same token, if I get a happy ending that really resonates with me, that tends to linger too 🙂

Absolutely. We do think about films we’ve seen and books we’ve read when we liked them (and saw/read the ending). But, I guess uncertainty kicks your brain into high gear, letting your imagination run wild and fill in what could happen. Either way, it’s an interesting study. 🙂

Science catches up with art! Art is all about hints, isn’t it? While science might shine the spotlight, and we all 100% claim we “want to know” there exists a richness in the hinting. Another thought is that engagement is about wondering, discussing, considering, sharing. Hints let us consider possibilities. Great post, Sarah!

Cool, isn’t it? I thought this was such an interesting study. Art does hint. It hints. Even when there’s a clear meaning or ending, our minds wonder what’s next. Or what could be next. Or…something. I don’t know. But, completely agree, there IS a richness to hinting. And engagement. Yes! That’s what I’m always going on about. 😀 Engaging readers. Using creativity and imagination to participate in or be a part of the reading experience. Possibilities… Love it!

It is cool and has my mind buzzing! Even the hero’s journey or the fairy-tale endings leave us to imagine that the hero is now equipped for what comes next and the prince and princess hints to what the happiness will be. It shows the importance of writing with imagination.

Holy crap! Me, too! 😀 Is it spinning?! Is it?! Ack! Oh, the possibilities and implications! I LOVE that. Here’s the thing: I did not like it when I first saw it. I was like, “What. The hell. Was that? Not happy.” Now (still thinking about it) I think it’s kind of brilliant.

Hey Sarah – great post! I’m starting to pay a lot more attention to flash fiction and so is my dad. He even ordered a book on how to write it! Love your stories. They always pack a punch and leave me wondering!

Sorry I missed this one, Sarah – don’t know how that happened. But maybe I’m not really sorry, as now I got to read all the amazing conversation. It is interesting indeed. I think most books and movies leave me wondering about the next occurrences, even when there is an ending. If I’m not left imagining or wondering, I’m usually thinking what a waste of time and effort it was. Your flash fiction always has me thinking more about its interpretation and wondering how you pack so much punch into a small jar. They’re never a waste of time.

Never a need to apologize. Ever. Especially since I’m just getting to this after my break. But, really, never a need to apologize. Life is too full of stress to bother. Yes, there is some awesome conversation here, isn’t there? It is so interesting. And I agree with you that, even when given an ending, I’m wondering, “what now?”

Thank you, Norah. What a lovely thing to say. *hands over small jar full of words* Have fun. 🙂 And Happy New Year!

My feeling about flash fiction is that if you could have at least an hour-long, thought-provoking discussion about it in, say, a college setting or writers’ group and leave with people still disagreeing or wondering … it’s successful.

And my best friend, when she gets movie recommendations from others, always asks, “Will I like the ending or not?” If the answer is “not,” she follows with, “At what point should I stop watching so that I can make up the ending I want?” And she really does this.